Is Robot Sex In Your Future?

Sadly the state of human relationships between men and women is not showing a very good track record. More and more the good long lasting relationships are becoming the rare exceptions, and that fact does leave the door open for other opportunities whatever they may be.

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It looks that way to you because you're a man. Many of the lifelong marriages of previous generations were a fantastic deal for the husband but hell on earth for the wife.

Now that women have the educational and economic freedom to get good jobs and support themselves, the social freedom to be people and not just women, and the biological freedom to not be baby machines, they're demanding a different kind of life than their mothers had.

Us guys ain't figured that out yet. Once we get with the program they'll come back and we'll have stronger marriages than before.

In any case, most marriages in the USA last at least ten years. That's not eternity but it's certainly long enough to establish a relationship that becomes part of the lifelong identity of both partners.

It looks that way to you because you're a man. Many of the lifelong marriages of previous generations were a fantastic deal for the husband but hell on earth for the wife.

Now that women have the educational and economic freedom to get good jobs and support themselves, the social freedom to be people and not just women, and the biological freedom to not be baby machines, they're demanding a different kind of life than their mothers had.

Us guys ain't figured that out yet. Once we get with the program they'll come back and we'll have stronger marriages than before.

In any case, most marriages in the USA last at least ten years. That's not eternity but it's certainly long enough to establish a relationship that becomes part of the lifelong identity of both partners.

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So what happen if we don't procreate, the marriage bond will become even weaker . eventually there is not going to be any marriage, An so the educate society will masturbate itself our self out of existence, .

It looks that way to you because you're a man. Many of the lifelong marriages of previous generations were a fantastic deal for the husband but hell on earth for the wife.

Now that women have the educational and economic freedom to get good jobs and support themselves, the social freedom to be people and not just women, and the biological freedom to not be baby machines, they're demanding a different kind of life than their mothers had.

Us guys ain't figured that out yet. Once we get with the program they'll come back and we'll have stronger marriages than before.

In any case, most marriages in the USA last at least ten years. That's not eternity but it's certainly long enough to establish a relationship that becomes part of the lifelong identity of both partners.

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Well stated, Fraggle.

The parameters of relationships have changed dramatically and in my observation, both sexes are struggling with communication skills and expectations in a rapidly changing world. With so many more opportunities available for both sexes, neither seems willing to commit to a long term shared objective.

I'm rather wondering if this age of 'instant gratification' may be a factor. In the workplace I observe that many cannot even commit to showing up on time or put in a credible effort for their wage. People who cannot even commit to a paycheck are unlikely to be good relationship material from what I have seen.

We live in an era of many distractions and we are a species with great curiosity and a short attention span.

I have been fortunate in my selection of mates, but then again, I am able to convey my expectations quite clearly and I follow through on my commitments, skills that were taught to me at a young age.

One of my co-workers was commenting tonight that there is a gap in mentoring that is going to become very apparent in the next 5-10 years as many of 'the old guard' retire. A whole knowledge base is being lost and those set to take over don't even know what they don't know. It's going to get very interesting for a while on a lot more than just the personal level.

A robot that could help with physical chores, I could envision.

As a replacement for companionship? Maybe, if it could play chess and Scrabble and carry on a decent conversation. :shrug:

So what happen if we don't procreate, the marriage bond will become even weaker . eventually there is not going to be any marriage, An so the educate society will masturbate itself our self out of existence, .

Right and imagine the visual cue of a coming home and catching your boyfriend/husband in bed with what at first glance appears to be another woman. Some women will get over it. I suspect many won't. I have dated many women who assumed that I would stop masturbating (at least privately) once we were "serious," as they couldn't grasp why I would want to masturbate when I have access to the "real thing." (Masturbating as part of sex with a partner is very different though.)

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My comment was more about visual cue while masturbating (ie picture of an absent loved one), for example.

Would I want to catch my husband in bed with a sex robot? I can assure you, the experience would be less painful than my having caught him having an affair.

If I had to choose, I'd pick the robot. Hindsight, it's a wonderful thing. Having experienced one, from my perspective, I would have been more forgiving of the robot.

Plus, I don't think most women will want the competition any more than men would. I have seen men retreat down the porn-hole while in a relationship, and I've found most women have a somewhat limited tolerance for porn. A few movies, a couple magazines, sure, okay. If you are holding onto dozens of porn DVDs from the 90s, or have "too much" porn downloaded onto your computer, that seems to cross a line.

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I don't understand the obssession with porn, be it to keep or against it. I mean really, how many times can someone watch the same person moaning in the exact same movie over and over again? At some point, it becomes old and the sexual reaction to it is robot like in itself.

Visual cue's matter and I know some people who really get off on watching and even listening to porn. I also know some who use it as a sexual aide, along with other "toys" to enhance their sex life (unfortunately some are overly descriptive, which can and does kill a dinner conversation when one decides to describe the spider web sheet with handcuffs during desert). I think the 'eww' factor of porn is something that is taught by society. It's supposed to be wrong but if you notice, those individuals also watch it when they get the opportunity.

(Hence online streaming porn is a godsend, as it's limitless free porn that no one needs to stockpile in a way that would creep women out. Though there is still the problem of men who retreat into porn rather than working on difficulties in their relationships, which I have heard of, but never known any man to do.)

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It does happen. Other men have affairs or visit prostitutes. So do some women.

If "real to the eye" male sex robots start being used by women, I would expect many men to get very (irrationally) mad at the robots, in large part because of the visual cue.

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Depends on the individual I'd imagine. Some guys get a kick out of seeing their partners with other men. For those individuals, at least they'd know it was safe and no emotional attachment.

Others might react along the lines of 'am I not good enough for you?'... Which is also normal.

You can't judge anything by the freaky shit the Japanese will do. The Japanese have vending machines that sell "used" unwashed panties (worn by schoolgirls! Or so they tell the men who buy them), but I don't see that catching on any time soon anywhere else.

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Everyone has their fetishes and while we snort in derision at the Japanese, they recognise the market and are catering to it.

So here's the rule: Japan doesn't count. These are the people who gave us tentacle porn.

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Okay, I'll give you that.

I also think the kissing machine may be better in that it's not anthropomorphic. It looks almost like a dental instrument, like some sort of (bulky) water pik.

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It missed the point of lip to lip contact in a kiss, the movements and nuances of a kiss. Sticking a swirly straw in my mouth that tastes like someone else's mouth.. no, sorry, doesn't look better to me.

The creepy factor is there (for me) but not as much as if it looked like this:

Would be hard for me to choose to be honest. See through sex doll that you can dress (note the cardboard demonstration with the see through inflatable doll in the school girl uniform) or a shiny waxed like figure.. Would be hard to choose which is creepier.

Just for the record I wouldn't mind my woman spending some time with a robot as long as she would still make quality time for me. The one thing I can say about that is the robot does not add any bodily fluids, which would be a deal breaker for me. I find sloppy seconds unacceptable.

I don't think they really explored the way the holodeck would actually be used on ST TNG.

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They did obliquely on Deep Space 9, where Quark ran the holographic simulations and there were frequent mentions of erotic scenarios that could be run, and even references to that being the bread and butter of that business.

Plus why do you think the holodecks suffer from catastrophic, safety-protocol-disabling malfunctions in two out of every three episodes where they appeared? It's because they're filthy, and the left over filth oozes into the circuits.

Are you making the assumption that all pervs are sociopaths? .... That doesn't mean a sociopath can't be a perv, but I wouldn't make that assumption.

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There is, to the best of my knowledge, no commutative law regarding sociopaths and pervs.

That said, many of us are of the opinion that those who do sexual violence to others are sociopathic in that they do damage to other people (beat, injure, rape, torture, murder for example).

Perv as in Pervert

Perversion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perversion is a concept describing those types of human behavior that are excessive or deviated from what is considered to be orthodox or normal . Although it can refer to varying forms of deviation, it is most often used to describe sexual behaviors that are seen by an individual as abnormal, repulsive or obsessive. Perversion differs from deviant behavior, since the latter refers to a recognized violation of social rules or norms. It is often considered derogatory and in psychological literature the term paraphilia has been used as a replacement,[1] though this term is controversial, and "deviation"[2] is now used instead by others.

sociopath
[soh-see-uh-path, soh-shee-]
so·ci·o·path
[soh-see-uh-path, soh-shee-]
noun Psychiatry.
a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial, often criminal, and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.

Hopefully the above helps somewhat. IMHO, the Marquis De Sade was a pervert (Yes, I have read his book) but not a sociopath as he did not seek to harm others with his practices. While watching others defecate on a plate on the dining room table is sorta out there, the excretory participants were not harmed by his watching this. The BTK was both a perv AND a sociopath because he killed his victims after he tortured them.

The central issue here though, is a lack of relationship building and maintainence skills. Most folks assume that we are all just born with a natural ability to create and maintain relationships, just like we all know how to walk and run - right?

Wrong. Most people walk poorly and run much worse. I see this every day on the trails. Folks assume they already know how to walk and run, go out with the intent to do so for several miles every day in order to get in shape or loose weight, get hurt and quit. Why? Simply because they walk or run incorrectly because they have never learned how - never learned the correct way to do so - due to this belief that the knowledge is innate when it is not. Your parents taught you how to walk when you could only crawl and that is usually enough to get you by...unless you wish to walk a distance. Then your small errors turn into significant injury that stops you cold.

The same goes for relationships. We have all known persons who seem to think with their genitalia an not with their brains. While this can be a purely physiological phenomenon in some cases (pheromones and biological compatibility cues), many times it is sexual bonding that sends people into marriage without considering other factors like emotional, intellectual, educational and financial compatibility. Those last factors figure greatly when it comes to creating a long - term interpersonal relationship.

Sex as a bonding behavior works well within the context of a healthy relationship between compatible adults, it follows compatibility as a primary factor, not vice versa. (Unless you are really lucky.) This is part of why we have a soaring divorce rate, in addition to the liberation of women who were raised 'old school'.

IMHO we should be teaching children how to establish and maintain relationships just as we (supposedly) teach them how to drive a car. Human children need 2 parents + in order to grow to healthy, well balanced adulthood. Many of the problems we face as a society are due to these failed marriages and the increasing number of single parent homes.

I don't think they really explored the way the holodeck would actually be used on ST TNG.

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You missed the episode in which Ryker was kidnapped and told that he had just finally woken up from a long coma. As he began asking questions of the strangers around him they realized that he had forgotten many years of his life. He was now captain of his own ship, the Federation was at peace with the Romulans, Geordie had artificial eyes that looked like eyes, etc. Then they showed him a photo of his wife and he was onto them. Actually "they" were just one precocious little boy with a lot of technology. This was all a hologram and the kid just wanted to kidnap Ryker as a surrogate family. He had plumbed his memories and extracted this woman (can't remember her name) because he had more feelings for her than any other woman and they'd had quite a passionate relationship.

Turns out the woman was a hologram. Ryker had been having a lengthy, torrid affair with her on the holodeck.

The little boy said, "But she fit all the parameters of a real woman in your memory. How could I have gone wrong?" Ryker answered, "Well, this was a very special holographic program."

Would I want to catch my husband in bed with a sex robot? I can assure you, the experience would be less painful than my having caught him having an affair.

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Precisely because it's not a real person so there's no relationship, right? He's not giving part of himself to someone else and creating a bit of his life that includes her instead of you.

I don't understand the obssession with porn, be it to keep or against it. I mean really, how many times can someone watch the same person moaning in the exact same movie over and over again? At some point, it becomes old and the sexual reaction to it is robot like in itself.

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You obviously have not looked into porn, which means you've never had any reason to, so bravo. A few years ago it was said that porn was a bigger industry in the USA than legitimate films. If you were to take a look at the internet porn sites you'd find that there are more than you could probably catalog in a year. They post new films all the time. There are free sites that offer two- or three-minute clips from a hundred different films as a lure to subscribe, and rotate twenty new ones every week.

I've never understood the point of a feature-length porno film. As one comedian asked, "Why are they all so much longer than they need to be?" Concatenate two or three or four of these free clips together. You'll never see the same scene twice, although you might run into the same actors and actresses frequently.

Depends on the individual I'd imagine. Some guys get a kick out of seeing their partners with other men. For those individuals, at least they'd know it was safe and no emotional attachment.

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Back in "the sixties" (that misnamed 12-year era that began in 1963 with the first Beatles hit and ended in 1975 with the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam), "swinging" was hot. Two or three couples would get together. It's still done although it's not as prominent. Of the four women I know well enough to talk about this, three have done it.

Newt Gingrich had so many things going against him as a potential presidential candidate, but the one everyone I know agrees was the deal breaker was when he asked his wife to start swinging with him... right after she was diagnosed with cancer.

Others might react along the lines of 'am I not good enough for you?'... Which is also normal.

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Three-ways seem to be more common: two gals, one guy. One woman told me that the benefit of that is that now there is at least one person in the room who cares a little about her happiness.

"Precisely because it's not a real person so there's no relationship, right? He's not giving part of himself to someone else and creating a bit of his life that includes her instead of you.

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For a woman who has never caught her husband cheating on her with another woman, she might feel a sense of shock and betrayal if she caught him having sex with an android. As someone who did catch my husband in an affair, at possibly the worst time in my life, I would not have minded if he had had sex with a robot during that time. I would have preferred that to his sleeping with a woman I knew and did not like very much and who then thought it would be a good idea to measure up my living room to see if her things would fit in the event of possible death. To him, that was apparently acceptable and I should have been more forgiving and understanding of his needs. Given the choice? Hell, I'd have bought him a damn android for however much it cost instead of have to go through that.

You obviously have not looked into porn, which means you've never had any reason to, so bravo. A few years ago it was said that porn was a bigger industry in the USA than legitimate films. If you were to take a look at the internet porn sites you'd find that there are more than you could probably catalog in a year. They post new films all the time. There are free sites that offer two- or three-minute clips from a hundred different films as a lure to subscribe, and rotate twenty new ones every week.

I've never understood the point of a feature-length porno film. As one comedian asked, "Why are they all so much longer than they need to be?" Concatenate two or three or four of these free clips together. You'll never see the same scene twice, although you might run into the same actors and actresses frequently.

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My comment was directed at people who purchase porn movies and keep watching them over and over again instead of just getting the streams, which at least then would allow one to branch out and watch new porn constantly. It means you don't have that ridiculous stash of porn on your computer or DVD or other forms of external media to then try and hide if your spouse or partner has an issue with it.

Back in "the sixties" (that misnamed 12-year era that began in 1963 with the first Beatles hit and ended in 1975 with the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam), "swinging" was hot. Two or three couples would get together. It's still done although it's not as prominent. Of the four women I know well enough to talk about this, three have done it.

Newt Gingrich had so many things going against him as a potential presidential candidate, but the one everyone I know agrees was the deal breaker was when he asked his wife to start swinging with him... right after she was diagnosed with cancer.

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There is a time and place for everything. What he did to her when she had cancer makes him an arsehole in my opinion. Yes, I am biased..

Three-ways seem to be more common: two gals, one guy. One woman told me that the benefit of that is that now there is at least one person in the room who cares a little about her happiness.

I've never seen that episode of ST TNG Fraggle. And Cavalier, now that you mention it, I do remember some hinting around about private holo suites on DS9. I haven't seen an episode of that show since it went off the air in 1999, so it slipped my mind. And there was also the episode where Tasha Yar got busy with Mr. Data!

Without a doubt, artificial substitutes for sex/companionship have a bright future. The crude substitutes that we now have are only for the most desperate of the desperate; I'm sure as technology advances, larger and larger segments of the population will see them as viable alternatives to actual human companionship. Sure, it won't be real, but neither is the love that trophy wives have for their elderly husbands.

I wouldn't be happy with a robot. For one thing, it could not have the same smell. The same bacteria that inhabit us do not inhabit robots.

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I certainly couldn't be happy with what they have now. But who knows what the future holds? I can't help but think that what you'll be willing to settle for in an artificial companion will be affected by what you can get in a real one. If you know that your options are very limited (say, you are very homely, or disfigured, or pathologically shy) and your choice is basically between being alone, or having a simulacrum, can you say for sure that you'd choose to be alone?

And the future could be as realistic as the replicants in Blade Runner. I'm sure I'll never live to see that, but it may happen.

As someone who did catch my husband in an affair, at possibly the worst time in my life, I would not have minded if he had had sex with a robot during that time. I would have preferred that to his sleeping with a woman I knew and did not like very much and who then thought it would be a good idea to measure up my living room to see if her things would fit in the event of possible death. To him, that was apparently acceptable and I should have been more forgiving and understanding of his needs.

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One can never get inside another person's head and learn how grief, disaster and uncertainty affect him. Nonetheless I think most of us would draw that line considerably upriver from his line. Of course we can't control the thoughts that come into our heads during times of stress. If he found himself wondering what he would do if you died then he'd just have to find a way to deal with those thoughts. But to discuss those thoughts with another woman who then not only shared them but divulged them to you, regarded your worst-case scenario as a golden opportunity, and began preparing a contingency plan for taking over your hearth? And gave him a practice run to see if he'd be satisfied with her as your successor? I'm glad you were able to forgive your husband. If you were personal friends of mine I'd have a hard time doing the same.

My comment was directed at people who purchase porn movies and keep watching them over and over again . . . .

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I watched about two porn movies in a theater from beginning to end 45 years ago. One was with a friend who was curious to see what the fuss was about, and the other was with a girlfriend who thought it would be a turn-on. And of course before that the ritual "dirty movies" night in the college dormitory, when they were silent black & white films.

But I don't understand why anyone past that age of curiosity and silliness wants to watch an entire movie. They're masturbation aids and masturbation doesn't take an hour.

There is a time and place for everything. What he did to her when she had cancer makes him an arsehole in my opinion.

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I can't believe that I'm actually relieved that the Republicans picked a candidate whose "only" major feat of assholishness was to drive twelve hours at freeway speed with his dog in a crate strapped to the top of his car. Why is it that since I've been old enough to vote (1964, the minimum age was 21 back then), my choices have been Tweedledum and Tweedledumber? I was too young to vote for Adlai Stevenson or John Kennedy (who in retrospect wasn't such a peach but he seemed like one at the time). Since then in almost every election I've been voting against someone instead of for someone. This is why I'm a LIbertarian. I actually got to vote for Ron Paul in 1988.

I don't believe it holds much hope for crime prevention. I'm not a slippery slope reasoner. I thinks it in you are it's not.

I can see future moral implications, such as technology that may allow one to grow human cells to make such a robot. Perhaps, some of the parts could be like real, but as long as not everything was fully biological replicated, the doll would not fall into the category of being called human.

A perfectly made sex robot would be nice, especially for mentally ill people (and serial killers) who can't find a suitable mate. I mean really, who wants to marry a mentally ill person when they themselves are not mentally ill. When two mentally ill people get together things can go really REALLY bad!!